Luxury watches for men are very big business these days, and the last ten years, has seen extraordinary growth in this sector of the jewellery market. For example, the Swiss watch industry exported £10 billion worth of watches in 2008, up from £2.5 billion in 1986. This is incredible when you think about the fact that the rise in popularity of smartphones has pretty much rendered the watch useless - as you can just look at your phone if you need to tell the time! So why are luxury watches so popular?

In the early part of this century, if you were a man you would more than likely be handed a gold watch by your father on your 21st birthday, and that would last you the rest of your life. It would never cross you, or your father's mind, that you might want at least another two watches by the time you are 30! And you certainly would never have thought that by the time you were 40 you might be over the moon to receive a wooden luxury watch box to keep your collection of timepieces in.

The fact that the luxury watch market is still growing, must come as a relief to an industry that many thought was on its last legs back in the 1970s. The arrival of the quartz watch was not only seen as a huge technological achievement but also became the biggest challenge the traditional wristwatch had ever faced. The hip and trendy cheap digital watch with flashing lights nearly spelt the end for the mechanical timepiece. However, the Swiss watchmakers soon fought back with a new design philosophy and marketing programme, which bought the luxury watch back onto centre stage again. They decided that instead of being just a teller of the time, a watch should be a mini-masterpiece that would showcase their skill. What better way to show you appreciate tradition, innovation, technology and true craftsmanship than with a little package that sits neatly on your wrist?

The prediction that technology would kill off the mechanical watch simply hasn't come true, thank goodness. Most men now own a smartphone and tablet as well as a wristwatch and not instead of. Watches have become the accessory that a man can wear to show his true character and indulge himself in a little bit of extravagance without drawing any criticism. The fact that the dress code for men nowadays is quite limited consisting of a suit, shirt, jumper and jeans means that a watch is one of the only ways a man can really express his personality. So, to take advantage of this increase in popularity of mechanical watches the watch industry has started to take inspiration from world-class sports cars, and now design watches that are complicated and technologically-advanced in order to appeal to a wider market.

The market for luxury watches has become more refined over the past few years, with many people spending a lot of money on the latest watch as an exclusive gift for the man in their life. People are now looking to make a wise investment in a watch which not only brings them pleasure to own but will also hold onto or even increase its value. However, at the base of every watch purchase is a simple joy, an enjoyment of owning something that looks great and tells everyone something about you. After all, in a man's world your watch says as much about you as a ladies shoes does in hers.

Many men and ladies, now see watch collecting as a hobby and have at least five or six that they flip between. And so the market for luxury watch boxes has also increased with the popularity of the luxury watch too. IWoodesign offers a beautiful luxury watch box collection in 8 different exclusive woods, to suit every taste. Each hand crafted wooden watch box is crafted with seven pillows to display your watches on, and 11 compartments to keep your other jewellery and accessories in.

To view our range of luxury watches boxes, please head over to our website at iwoodesign.com